Malai Chicken Curry Recipe (Murgh Malaiwala)
Malai Chicken Curry (Murgh Malaiwala) is a rich and creamy North Indian chicken curry where chicken pieces are cooked with heavy cream, yogurt, and spices. Make it using my easy recipe and serve with naan or lachha paratha for an indulgent meal.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
To Marinate The Chicken
- 1 kilogram skinless bone-in chicken cut into 1 and ½ inch pieces, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or thick plain yogurt (dahi, curd)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
For The Curry
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 3-4 cloves (laung)
- 5-6 whole black peppercorns (kali mirch)
- 1 and ½ cups chopped onions
- 2-3 green chilies slit into half
- 3.5 ounces unsweetened heavy cream 100 ml
- ½ cup milk
- 15-20 saffron strands
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
- 2 tablespoons Kasuri methi crushed
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ cup crispy fried onions crushed
Instructions
Marinate The Chicken
- Mix together yogurt, lime juice, ginger garlic paste, salt, and garam masala powder in a bowl.
- Add chicken to the bowl and coat well with the marinade.
- Cover the bowl with a cling wrap and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
If you want to make it with boneless chicken, use 500 g of chicken thighs, cut into 1 and ½-inch pieces. You can also use chicken breast, but they are slightly drier than thighs.
Make The Curry
- Heat oil and ghee in a pan over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot, add cloves and black peppercorns and saute for 4-5 seconds.
- Add onions and cook until they turn translucent (6-8 minutes), stirring frequently.
- Now add chilies and cook for 8-10 seconds.
- Add the marinated chicken along with the marinade and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the chicken is slightly browned and the raw smell is gone. Stir frequently while cooking.
- Now add 1 cup of water and mix well.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 40-45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked well. Stir a few times while cooking.
- Now add cooking cream, milk, saffron strands, cardamom powder, white pepper powder, and Kasuri methi, and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add chili powder and garam masala powder and mix well.
- Add crispy fried onions and cook for 4-5 minutes stirring frequently.
- Check for salt and add more if needed.
- Serve hot.
Video
Notes
You can use fresh, homemade malai in this recipe in place of tetra-pack cream.
Nutrition
Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 974mg | Potassium: 381mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 515IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 1mg
